Dodgers: Big Bats Coming Up Short When It Matters Most this Posteason
And just like that, the Dodgers find themselves fighting for their playoff lives once again. Another terrible night for the offense helped the Giants take control of the series, and there is plenty of blame to go around.
Before we dive into how bad the offense looked, we have to acknowledge the effect that the wind had on Game 3. Dodgers Stadium is not a hitter park by any means, but the wind has never been the reason for that. On Monday night, however, 40 MPH gusts of wind caused the Dodgers to potentially miss out on some key hits, including this one that definitely would have tied the game on any other night.
A Giant shutout. pic.twitter.com/2Wsa7vzIJl
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2021
The look on Gavin’s face says it all, as that should have been a home run to at the very least send this game into extras. Instead, the Dodgers will need to win back-to-back elimination games against the best team in baseball this season to keep their championship hopes alive.
Bad weather can definitely affect how a team performs, but that excuse can only go so far. The Dodgers have had equally terrible days at the plate throughout this series, and it’s been unbearable to watch. The biggest culprit? The top of the lineup, which is supposed to anchor this group of hitters on any given night.
Dodgers 1-4 Hitters in NLDS (3 Games)
- Mookie Betts – 3 for 12, 1 RBI, 7 LOB
- Corey Seager – 2 for 12, 1 RBI, 5 LOB
- Trea Turner – 1 for 13, 6 LOB
- Justin Turner – 1/13, 5 LOB
Combined Total: 7 for 50 (.140 BA)
No matter how you look at it, these numbers will not cut it. Especially not from a group of players who are supposed to be the best hitters on the team. In fact, if it weren’t for the Dodgers’ 6-9 hitters who went 7 for 12 with 6 RBI in Game 2, their season might already be over.
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The Dodgers will now likely turn to Walker Buehler with their season on the line, which is admittedly not the worst scenario in the world. Walker has plenty of Postseason experience under his belt, and he’s proven to be able to perform when the lights are brightest.
Assuming that the Dodgers find a way to get this series back to San Francisco, a date with Logan Webb awaits them in Game 5. There’s no way this team advances if their best hitters continue to struggle, so it will be up to the top of the order to turn things around in a hurry.
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Last night, the ideal situation was that the Dodgers would win Game 3. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Despite Longoria’s HR, Scherzer did manage to keep us in the game and was a workhorse doing so. But alas, our Dodgers’ bats were not enough against Wood…Alex Wood, really (?)….and all of the Giants’ relievers. Admittedly, I thought that Lux had it with that great contact but…
Roberts said that Monday’s game was a “must win”, and we lost. Literally, tonight is “a must win” or our season ends at Chavez Ravine.
And the opponent wins a PS series here at home eliminating Dodgers for the 4th time in 5 years. That has to be a MLB record.
Definitely NOT the type of records you want to hold.
The problem with the above excuses is that the Giants played in the same wind, on the same field, on the same night, and won. The Dodgers win by big margins when they win, and then lose the close ones, and it has been that way throughout the season. At one point late in the season they were O for extra innings, and that points to a more serious underlying problem. Way too many ‘strategic’ moves (4 first basemen last night, was reported), while the Giants stay with a mostly set lineup, with a few modifications. And meanwhile, their castoffs are contributing hugely all over MLB land.
Shut out twice by the Giants? Alex Wood? I really don’t know what to say.
106w, couldn’t have said it better myself. One thing I can say in defense. You gotta hand it to Alex Wood. He is the pitching equivalent of Joc and Kike. Wood, not Kershaw was the one pitcher with a stellar outing vs the “Cheatstros” in 2017. He threw up nothing but zeros in 2020 postseason as well for the Dodgers!
Much of the blame for this postseason failings so far rests on the Front office! Not identifying players who will get it done when the lights are the brightest!
I felt Roberts drastically changed the batting order a bit too much and that’s been going on all year long. Just because of a LHP we didn’t see the lineup that scored 9 runs on 11 hits in game 2. I told you this offense was inconsistent, especially after a good game the day before. And again, kike and Joc did not want in on how Roberts used them, meaning they went elsewhere for regular playing time. IIWII.
Johnnie K, strategic moves were not the cause of last night’s loss. As the author of this article is so spot on, the problem is the Dodgers big bats have been MIA. The Giants big bats have not. NL batting champ with one postseason hit???? Geez! Seager without his MVP 2020 run, has been a playoff bust! At least Betts and JT have produced in the past. Pollock continues is god awful postseason production. Smith has been a consistently good postseason player. But you need more than one guy to carry the team.
I’m simply at a loss to explain how a team with this much talent can display such ineptitude! Truly disheartening!
Let’s get em tonight boys!!!
I knew from the very beginning that this offense was not as good as last year’s and even though the rest of the NL didn’t have a DH, I think that hurt this team more than others.
Completely agree.
(Meant to say) Completely agree with Dodgerfan4life.
I was ok with Pujols in there against the lefthander Wood, but why did Roberts or the Front Office change Seager and T. Turner around? Who wants to show up to the ballpark every game and be surprised by the constantly moving lineup?
Just like my first wife the Dodgers are overswinging.The offensive strategy against Alex Wood is choke up on the bat and drive to right and let the wind do the rest.Vaunted Dodger offense has been “spitting” into wind all season.Gavin there are no ingenues in baseball .You drove the ball to worst spot in stadium -what did you expect.It’s still our series to win .We are a better team!! Let’s start playing some “little” ball and pass the bat to next teammate.That’s been bread and butter all season.In the immortal words of Shooter”go out there and kick their Butts!!
DJR, the Giants’ lineup is different every damn game too! It’s not lineup changes that makes the differences, it’s player performance or lack there of that does! Proven Playoff performers were allowed to leave from last year’s championship team that will be the difference in what appears to be a failure unless they can somehow reproduce their heroics from last year. Not impossible but less likely with fewer proven playoff performers. Sorry to say, but October baseball is just different.
Unfortunately it looks like the end of the road. Giants are the better team. Their lineup is more consistent than ours. Barnes AB was just pathetic as was JT’s. Have to score first to have a chance. We really are not a come from behind team like the Giants. If they start a LH pitcher we are in big trouble. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
As much as it pains me to say so, the Giants are a better, more consistent team this year. What started out with so much promise has turned into a small dumpster fire. Injuries to key players, Bauer’s extra-curricular activities and inexperience have taken its toll. But none of that should matter. Every team faces those same challenges throughout the season. Exactly as Dodger1955 said, the Dodgers have never been a come-from-behind team.
What a depressing game. Not only did the “big bats” disappear once again with the starter pitching a superb game, but Longoria, who was being bashed by Giant fans and was hit-less, belted the game winner – a HR, to add insult to injury. I have been saying since the season ever began that the Dodger management should not have lost Pederson and Hernandez because they came up so big when it mattered most. Look what they are doing respectively for Atlanta and Boston in the playoffs and it hurts even more. I hate to say it, but that 60 game season last year and resulting WS victory should always have an asterisk next to it and I am sick of hearing and seeing “Dodgers World Series Champions” all over the Dodger media and stadium. So it’s or die, and tonight’s game will give us what this team is really made of, including next year. But, alas, perhaps the dreaded Giants are the team of destiny this year.
I don’t see the competitive spirit from this team. The refuse to lose attitude just isn’t there. It’s like they are just expecting the other team to just hand it to them because they are the defending champions.
Show me some real fight tonight!
Amen
Agree. They showed it in game 3, that was about it….Golden opportunity to go back to back, it’s been a while since that happened. Let’s make history Dodgers!
John, they showed it in game 2 not game 3. And going back-to-back? Sorry to inform you that the Dodgers have never been repeat champs. They have lost back-to-back WS to the Yankees twice 1952-53 and 1977-78. They also lost back-to-back in 2017 to the Cheatstros and 2018 to the Red Sox.
Just wanted to set the record straight 😉
Says it all. 7 for 50 .140 BA with 23 runners LOB from top 4 in lineup.
Tim, no argument there. Other than Seager’s unconscious 2020 performance, he has been a total playoff bust. Betts and JT are at least proven playoff performers. Really disappointed in the reigning batting champ though. 1 hit in 3 games? Geez.